Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 4. (Budapest, 1976)

IVÁNFY-BAL0GH, Sára - JAKABFFY, Imre: Géza R. Maróti

He was born in Barsvörösvár in 1875. His father was landholder in the neighbouring Aranyosmarót, his family name had been Fintel. Later he was adopting the Hungarian sounding name Maróti according to the place-name of their family property at Aranyosmarót (the small town bears now the name Zlaté Moravce in Slovakia). The family became ruined, the son moved to Budapest and entered a sculptor workshop as apprentice at the age of 15. Pushing the wheelbarrow and brooming all day long, he spent his evenings in a drawing-course for he would like to be a painter. After having served his apprenticeship he went over into the Oppenheimer's sculptor studio where became in 1893 business manager. At this time he pursued Vienna academical studies too, having settled its costs from his earnings. About 1900 he made himself independent and rented a large yard in the Budapest József Street (Xo 57, Seenger's house) and fitted there a gallery of drawing and foundry workshop up. Later he maintained this renting further on after having acquired a villa studio in Lendvay Street (No 8). The sizes of his occupation in the József Street gallery are characterized by his technical personal of 30 men for scaffolding, material conveyance moulding and carrying out. The every single phase of Maróti's career of art are approximately coinciding with the first four decades of our century. In the first decade : applied art activity, international successess, scoring great popularity by artistic arrangements of great exhibitions, Milanese international exhibition, the building of the Venetian Biennale, the Mexican Theatre, sculptural works. Second decade: decorative sculptural works on bank palaces at Budapest, field drawings of the World War I, outlines made on his travels to the Near East and designs to the reconstruction of the Solomon's temple. Third decade: architectural projects to a Budapest stadium-town, sculptural and interior architectural works on monumental buildings in the U.S.A., as well as displays of own works at Detroit, Fourth decade : again at home after carrying out the American orders, unrealized architectural projects. The above phases can not be disconnected sharply, a long series of excellent sculptures had been carried cut by him and in the meantime he was drawing (Fig. 1 ), putting together exhibitions but in all his activity we could find out the artist-craftsman. At the beginning of his career Maróti draw the attention to himself in two regards. First as architect and then as organizer and arranger of high classed exhibitions. The Hungarian Society of Applied Arts was arranging its exhibitions at the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts, by this means Maróti's activity had been linking closely with our Museum. His articles manufactured with refined taste were generally approuvée! on these exhibitions. Károly Lyka had written in this manner giving account of the Christmas exhibition 1903: „Géza R. Maróti was participating with great number and variety of his works on the exhibition. He designed the big decorative door of the exhibition and he was the planer of the interior's ensemble. He shows conqueror riders east in bronze relief, we see Qeen Elizabeth again in bronze, a writing outfit in bronze and tin, readinglamps, ash-trays and we can admire his romanesque styled well too. He has thousand hands, rules over all kinds of material — every bagatelle shows aboundingly his genuine art, he is a born artist".

4 He obtains in 1904 the state big gold medal of the Museum of Applied Arts, becomes member of committee of the Society of Applied Arts. On the exhibition 1905 also in our Museum, beside of a massive genius statue, the Hauszmann commemorative medal caused sensation. One of its surface has been 128